A COUPLE have revealed how they abandoned their previous lives to travel the world in a van.
Nik and Yas, both 29, gave up their 9-to-5 jobs and stable home to live in a caravan that cost them £11,000.
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The duo revealed they were inspired to travel the world in the foreseeable future future after a six month holiday in Australia.
While they both admit there were downsides, they say it was worth it and saved money on rent and bills.
“Van life started for us quite spontaneously,” Yas told Luxury Travel Daily.
“A two-week vacation at a fancy resort just wasn’t going to give us the freedom we were looking for.
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“After a series of incredible adventures, we knew the regular 9-5 wasn’t for us.”
In 2017, the couple packed their bags and took what was originally supposed to be a six-month trip to Australia.
Yas said: “We bought a four-wheel drive and did a lap around the coast of Australia.
“We are having so much fun, the first six months turned into almost three years of traveling.”
After exploring Australia, the pair backpacked through Asia and Fiji for a year.
And when they finally returned to their homeland Germany in 2020, they quickly realized that a so-called “traditional” life would not be enough.
The couple purchased the van in 2020, returned to university and spent two years renovating their new home.
They bought their prized possession for €14,000 (£11,000) and worked on it 12 hours a day for seven months.
Nik said: “It took a lot longer than we thought, but we argue that you can see the extra time and effort we put into this build.
“[It cost us] around €15,000 (£12,000), but we did everything ourselves, including the electricity. We wanted €10,000 (£8,500) for the van and another €10,000 for materials.”
Why caravan holidays are so underrated
CARAVAN park holidays are a staple in Britain.
And with the cost of living crisis wreaking havoc on Britain’s stock exchanges, more of us are turning to them in search of an affordable break.
Josie O’Brien, senior digital writer at Fabulous, explains why she thinks caravan holidays are seriously underrated…
WHEN I was a kid my mum used to collect £9.50 holiday vouchers from The Sun.
She would use them to book a few nights at a caravan park during the school holidays.
As an adult, I fully appreciate the convenience of a humble caravan holiday.
No passport problems, no luggage limits and no standard hotel breakfast of stale toast and gray eggs.
I still love caravan holidays as an adult.
In a world where everything is done for the grass, a caravan park brings you back to the basics.
There’s no obligation to dress up, there’s no stress about taking a million picturesque excursions in a week, and I don’t get confused in tourist spots like I do abroad.
I love going to coastal caravan parks and walking on the beach.
My highlight is always the fresh mussels, ice cream and classic pubs to enjoy an afternoon drink.
And then, of course, there’s the cost.
Staying in a caravan is definitely a lot cheaper than my international travel.
Without expensive hotel bills and the ability to prepare my own meals, I’m spending hundreds of dollars less than I would abroad.
I’ve spent some of my best and most relaxing holidays in caravans. Maybe I’ll buy mine one day.
But it was no easy task to start the renovation, due to the huge ‘van life’ trend and Covid, the market went up, so there was no way to stay within budget.
“It was a little shocking, but we would rather go over budget than compromise the construction.
“After all, it was our first home as a couple and after living in a basic and minimalist way while traveling, we deserved something legal where we would feel at home.”
The couple confess that they found the process “totally overwhelming” at times.
Nik said: “We had no idea what we were up against and couldn’t afford too many mistakes as we were already over budget and wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible.
“This led to an intense construction period with almost daily challenges that arose unexpectedly.
“Everything goes crooked in a van, which makes construction a real headache. And some things just didn’t work the first or second time.
“We underestimated the precision needed to build drawers and it took us forever to get it right. We had no idea about plumbing or electricity.”
But the couple says it was worth it in the end.
Yas said: “There were a lot of highlights. “Every little achievement was celebrated and it was a great relief to do so.
“But most of all we were full of pride. No one would have imagined that we could build a van like this, not even ourselves, and the result was much better than expected.
“The day we moved in, we were filled with gratitude and an emotional tingle at the thought of the adventure that lay ahead.
“It was an expensive road, but if we compare [our outgoings now] with friends who live in our hometown, I would say we spend 30 to 50% less per month on fixed costs.”
The couple’s first van trip was to Norway and Switzerland during the winter, they then headed to France along the south coast of Spain to Cádiz, before taking the ferry to the Canary Islands, where they stayed during a warm winter.
“The journey has been going on for just over two years and we don’t intend to stop anytime soon. Our favorite place with the van is Fuerteventura, by far,” said Yas.
“It’s the warmest place to winter in Europe.”
With plans to travel to Italy and in Greece, the pair had some advice for aspiring van-lifers.
Nik said: “Trust your intuition and go towards your dreams. It may seem scary or impossible, but it’s worth trying.
“You can always go back to your old life if it doesn’t work out.” But you can’t get back the time you didn’t spend on your dreams.”
Yas added: “Van life isn’t for everyone, so we recommend renting an RV for a trial period before embracing the lifestyle.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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